This observance coincides with [name of assignment] that is listed on the syllabus. Model Letter: Requesting Religious Accommodation in the Face of COVID-19 Vaccine Workplace Mandate For good or bad, COVID-19 has changed the way we navigate the world and the way in which "we the people" exercise our rights. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on religion. WASHINGTON (AFNS) --. Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures, File a Discrimination and Harassment Report, ADA Compliance and Disability Accommodations, Accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, Faculty and Staff Workplace Accommodations, Faculty and Staff Workplace Accommodation RequestForm, Documentation Guidelines for Individuals with Disabilities, Pre-Entrance Health Requirement Deadlines, Homewood Campus: University Housing Religious Accommodation Request Form. A request for a religious accommodation for housing must document: a description of the accommodation you are requesting; The religious accommodation request, if filed with an employment agency, may be submitted to the agency to whom the employee currently has a personnel management relationship. It is your responsibility to make sure your employer has received the letter, and it is your responsibility to follow it up to make sure that your requested changes have been made. Religious Accommodation Request Form A reasonable religious accommodation is a change in the work environment or in the way tasks or responsibilities are customarily done that enables an employee to participate in their religious practice or belief without undue hardship on the conduct of the university's business or operation. I have been having medical issues that have affected my mood, sleep schedule, concentration, and focus. I observe the seventh-day of the week (Saturday) as the Sabbath as taught by my church in harmony with the Old and New Testament teachings of the Bible. Religious accommodation requests require a written statement, via the CDCR Form 2273, Request for Religious Accommodation, indicating the individual's sincerely-held religious belief that precludes them from receiving any COVID-19 vaccine. Request for Accommodation of Religious Practice SAMPLE 1. For example, if an employer has to hire a temporary worker to cover Saturdays for an employee who misses shifts then for religious reasons, there might be an undue hardship in accommodating the employee, she said. Under the Equal Employment regulations, I am entitled to accommodations provided that they do not cause undue hardship to the company. Work a flexible schedule so that the employee can leave the job on Friday afternoon before sundown, to permit time to travel home before Sabbath begins. I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. "Try your hardest to accommodate. Always end a letter by thanking your employer for their kind consideration. To request permission for specific items, click on the reuse permissions button on the page where you find the item. As you consider these examples, you may find it helpful to review How to Disclose a Disability and Request Accommodations in the Workplace on JANs page for Individuals, which also provides more information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a religious accommodation infringes on co-workers' ability to perform their tasks or creates a hostile work environment the accommodation will likely qualify as an undue hardship and therefore not a reasonable accommodation. If it impacts safety, the employer can also say no to the accommodation request, she said. When the economy is unstable, employers are faced with difficult decisions around staffing, pay and benefits. The description of the [modified/alternate] employment is as follows (include description of accommodation here): This is a temporary accommodation, not. No attorney-client relationship is created by using the templates. c. Types of Accommodation Requests. } Build specialized knowledge and expand your influence by earning a SHRM Specialty Credential. Once OIE has all supporting documentation, it will strive for a 5 business day turnaround. While Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 doesn't go as far as encompassing sports as a religion, the EEOC does define religions as including religious beliefs that are new or uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, only subscribed to by a small number of people, or illogical or unreasonable to others. Any academic unit may issue additional or more specific information that is consistent with approved policy. temp_style.textContent = '.ms-rtestate-field > p:first-child.is-empty.d-none, .ms-rtestate-field > .fltter .is-empty.d-none, .ZWSC-cleaned.is-empty.d-none {display:block !important;}'; To permit me to have Sabbath off once or twice a month would not suffice as a reasonable accommodation, since it would still force me to choose between my religion and my job. In some cases, OIE may need to obtain additional information and/or documentation about the student or employee's religious or spiritual practice(s) or belief(s). The law requires that educational institutions must develop policies to accommodate student absences to allow students to take holidays for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized . This isn't really a religious request, so the employer can push back and request a letter from a faith leader, she said. If you wish to submit proof of your COVID-19 vaccination or request a religious exception for the COVID-19 vaccine requirement, please do so via the Universitys Vaccine Management System (VMS) that will launch on July 1, 2021. And, it is also for encouraging and enticing your clients to visit your place of business as well. If employees have submitted a request for reasonable or religious accommodation due to the inability to comply with mandatory testing, they may request permission to remain off work, using their own leave credits or . If accommodation is easy, do it," said Kelly Dobbs Bunting, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig in Philadelphia, speaking at the SHRM Employment Law & Compliance Conference 2022on March 30 in Washington, D.C. Examples of possible . A religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow an employee or applicant to practice his or her religion. Explain that you would like an accommodation to allow you to practice your religion at work. These may prove helpful to consult. Rising sophomores (Class of 2025): Thursday, March 3, 2022, Incoming students (Class of 2026 and transfer sophomores): TBD. After you complete your submission, you will receive automated responses and updates from the system as your documents or exception requests are processed by the John Hopkins Exception Review Team.If you have questions or concerns, please contactoie@jhu.edu. Ths request should include relevant information such as: Once a request is submitted, the University Chaplain will initiate an interactive process to determine if the request can be accommodated as requested and, if not, what, if any, alternative arrangements can be made. Example Letter "Religious Reasonable Accompaniment Form" Please print or type the enclosed Letter, and attach it to the Religious Reasonable Accommodation form and fax it to: New Jersey Department of Corrections. Exploring Religious Accommodation OptionsOIE will consider reasonable religious accommodation requests on a case?by?case basis and consider factors, including but not limited to the: OIE will endeavor to protect the requesting student or employees privacy in evaluating and processing the accommodation to the greatest extent possible. As this would cause minimal burden for only minor {rescheduling, uniform changes, etc. Gain the intel you need now to successfully anticipate and navigate employment laws, stay compliant and mitigate legal risks. The Justice Centre does not have a standard template to address such individual beliefs. I will be very grateful if you could assist me in achieving a suitable schedule to avoid such a conflict. Although a manager may consider it reasonable to permit me to have, say, every other Saturday off work, this would not actually accommodate my belief, since I cannot work on any Sabbath. In Washington, the exemption approval process is largely left up to individual departments to approve exemptions and provide accommodations, and it could . information only on official, secure websites. This form asks for information on the specific religious belief or conviction - whether religious, spiritual, or philosophical - that is the basis of the request, as well as the requestedaccommodation or modification to policy, practice, or schedule. An employer that rejects such a request should be OK if it's sued in such circumstances, and it likely will be sued, she added. An official website of the United States government. Make sure, as well, that the letter does not contain any grammatical or spelling errors. Similarly, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires an employer to accommodate an employee's sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless . An employer doesn't have to provide a religious accommodation if it poses an undue hardship to a business. This is false. The other employees may wind up leaving due to the extra workload. % 01. LockA locked padlock I would like to suggest the following accommodations to address this issue: Please let me know if you need additional information or would like to discuss additional ideas. student affairs representatives, faculty, managers, and/or supervisors) who participated in the interactive process. Employers can push backgentlyon religious accommodation requests and don't have to grant requests that would result in an undue hardship, which is much easier for employers to show for religious accommodation requests than disability accommodation requests. For incoming students, a request must be made at the earliest possible opportunity after admission. A commander may require immediate compliance of an approved accommodation only under exigent circumstances and in furtherance of a compelling government interest due to operational necessity,. In order to establish the existence of a religious objection, it will be necessary for the individual to have specific religious beliefs which would be violated in a non-trivial way by receiving a particular vaccine. This site contains User-Generated Content, meaning any and all information and content that a user submits to the Site. {Your Address} Students are required to check their course syllabi at the beginning of the semester, make any conflicts with religious/cultural observances known to their professors, and discuss arrangements for missed classes or assignments. x][s} d =@_(3"I7ZqOnmY.=s@C`0NT6_w5_/O?a(Km~]Wy]]? Don't, for example, automatically laugh when an employee says he or she is a follower of the Jedi. Please let me know if you need additional information or would like to discuss additional ideas. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Sitting or standing for long periods of time in the same position is causing increased pain and is decreasing my mobility. Each request is individually reviewed by . A request for a religious accommodation for dining must document: As with housing and dining accommodations, medical accommodations should be made at the earliest possible opportunity after admission. Sabbath Accommodation Request - Employee Letter, Seventh-day Adventist Publications on Church - State Subjects. In addition, having a list of what I might need to do for the workday/week could also help me keep track of my work. Your letter should be a formal one, addressed to the right person. The Department of the Air Force is processing a number of Religious Accommodation Requests for the COVID-19 vaccine. Here in Canada the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) offers this advice: The religious objections held by individuals to specific vaccines will vary significantly. var temp_style = document.createElement('style'); document.head.append(temp_style); You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. The accommodation [will begin or began] on [date] and end based upon future doctor visits. Edit your religious accommodation approval letter online Type text, add images, blackout confidential details, add comments, highlights and more. Workplace distractions interfere with my concentration and focus so I would like to try noise cancelling headphones to minimize sound distractions. Depending on the circumstances, some examples of workplace accommodations may include: providing a woven cloth mask or personal protective equipment (PPE); physical distancing or modifying the work environment; modifying work schedules; 6. Find the latest news and members-only resources that can help employers navigate in an uncertain economy. Whenever possible, such requests should be submitted no less than 30 days in advance of the desired accommodation. 5. Share sensitive description of the accommodation you are requesting; A written letter to the chief official of the school, President Sylvia Burwell, that states the immunization would violate their religious belief as required by DC Code Section 38-506. Erin Mulvaney. To help our brethren who may need support in writing a letter to establish a religious objection, we have created aReligious Accommodation Requesttemplate that can be used and modified to suit individual circumstances. Some examples include: Permitting a student or employee to take a particular day or time period off for a religious holiday; Permitting flexible scheduling; and Providing a student or employee with a time and place to pray. (1) Observances of Worship and Holy Days. a permanent position. I realize the need for this requested accommodation is still a few months away, but I wanted to make arrangements in advance so that we can discuss it and plan. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS However, following receipt of the request, OIE will speak with a students faculty and/or student affairs representative, or an employees supervisor and/or department in order to further evaluate and/or implement the religious accommodation. Sample Hardship Letter Financial Hardship Letters Writing A Hardship Letter Religious Accommodation Discrimination. The hiring manager had assured her that [] I would also be open to any other suggestions that you might have. Questions regarding applying for housing should be directed to Housing Operations at (410) 516-7960 or housing@jhu.edu. Religious accommodations can take many forms. There are many types of accommodations. Official websites use .gov State that you are a practicing member of a certain religion. Writing A Hardship Letter To Social Security. You should consult an attorney for legal advice specific to your . Leading up to the holiday, Hopkins Dining will refine their planning and will distribute full details to students prior to the beginning of Ramadan. Be aware of differences in state law. Other objective reasons that a request isn't for religious reasons might include if the worker says he or she only puts organic substances into his or her body, defining organic substances as those that come from dirt. Treat every employee's reasonable accommodation request as legitimate on its face. Request for Religious Accommodation . This is likely to be your HR representative, but do check on that first. how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other academic requirement. stream I do not wish to have a conflict between my job duties and my obligations to God. Inconsistent behavior with the professed belief. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has excellent regulations and a compliance manual with lots of information and suggestions for how someone, like myself, can be accommodated. Need help with a specific HR issue like coronavirus or FLSA? 10 Examples of Religious Exemption Requests for Covid-19 Vaccines In the United States, employers have the responsibility to create a safe and unbiased work environment for people of different races and beliefs. I am a practicing member of {Religion}. The EEOC, which enforces Title VII and recently updated its pandemic guidance on vaccine exemptions, defines religion in the workplace bias context as firmly and sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. Please note that all such forms and policies should be reviewed by your legal counsel for compliance with applicable law, and should be modified to suit your organizations culture, industry, and practices. You are encouraged to submit your request for accommodation ten (10) business days following implementation of the vaccination policy. You have successfully saved this page as a bookmark. REQUEST FOR RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION / ACCOMMODATION RELATED TO [COMPANY NAME'S] COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY by offering opportunities for discussion, reminding people of available support services, and leading at a difficult time with compassion and empathy. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. Suspicious timing might arise if a worker requests and is denied time off on a Saturday and then the worker claims to have joined a religious organization that meets then and revives the request. For example. I am writing to request religious accommodation for my observance of Sabbath. 1/9/2019 Employer Address City, State, Zip Code RE: Accommodation for Religious Belief and Practice Dear (HR Person's Name): I am writing this letter on behalf of your employee, xxxxxx, who is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Employer Letter Example: Vaccine Mandate Objection No authorship claim or copyright asserted.A letter that also came to me via a route like a letter in a bottle. CBP Applicant: An applicant requesting religious accommodation for any stage of the application process must submit a request for religious accommodation to the Indianapolis or Minneapolis Hiring Center, as applicable. Because many people still do not want to be vaccinated, a number of websites have . Your signature PO Box 81489 Middlesex, NJ 08 Fax Number: Your accommodation request will be reviewed by your . It is difficult to say with certainty how long it can take to process requests, as many factors could impact timing (i.e., volume, complexity and availability of the student for follow up questions and/or their ability to timely provide supporting documentation). Employee Flu Vaccine ExceptionRequests:Whenever possible, employees should submit vaccine exceptionrequests to OIE at least 30 days in advance of Johns Hopkins Medicine Compliance Deadlines and OIE will do its best to respond in a timely manner. Fundamental requirements of the applicable academic program and/or related technical standards; Essential functions of an individual's job; Duties of others in the department or job group; Availability of alternative accommodations; Any undue hardship resulting from the requested accommodation; and. You are exclusively responsible and bear all risks associated with any user-generated content you submit or read. We have reviewed the attached case file and recommend action on SSgt Alpha's request for religious accommodation from compliance with Air Force grooming standards be deferred pending his imminent transfer of duty stations. Please confirm that you want to proceed with deleting bookmark. The point of dedicating a page for accommodation requests is for your client to know your business more intimately like they know every inch of their personality. [Company name] (the Company) has engaged in good faith written and/or oral communications This is a matter of considerable importance and urgency to me. If an accommodation would violate a collective bargaining agreement, it would result in an undue hardship. I request Reasonable Accommodation to have {Company Name} {waive the requirement, provide a substitute, allow shift swap, etc.}. Should you have any questions about the reasoning or observance of this [name of religious holiday], please feel free to contact Hierald Osorto, Director of Religious and Spiritual Life, at hosorto@ithaca.edu. Please contact dining@jhu.edu or consult the Hopkins dining webpage if you have additional questions. {Your Name} Please purchase a SHRM membership before saving bookmarks. if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { M`f"_qy7iSvvhBnq>!I+b"j0GL1Hy=3qIRrK{ 7\p% $K'@? < e/q[4T5iC`t`]fX`W_da(dk5 GadSh7(C/?. The VMS will be accessible via the myJH portal when it goes live on July 1. Employees, as well as job applicants, may request a religious or reasonable accommodation from an employer requirement that conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances. An employee may Thank you in advance for accommodating my request. After you complete your submission, you will receive automated responses and updates from the system as your documents or exception requests are processed by the John Hopkins Exception Review Team. Unlike with disability accommodations, cost often may be a winning undue hardship argument for employers when religious accommodations are requested. Sample Accommodation Request Letter. Sample Email - Religious Accommodation Request. }, I believe that such a request would not be unsafe, inconvenient, or costly. However, the law does stipulate that the employer only has to conform if the accommodation will not cause the company any undue hardship. The University may suggest an alternative accommodation it deems reasonable to accommodate a request. I would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation due to religious belief. Once a religious objection to taking a vaccine is established, an employer has a duty to accommodate that religious belief up to the point of undue hardship. . employee-religious-exemption-november-2021 Download Vaccine Religious Exemption I am writing this letter to submit a request for accommodations in the workplace. Religious beliefs may exempt you from participating in certain functions or completing certain actions.